This is a historical novel, which traces the history of the Hadnot family from Gloucester, England in 1585 to New Orleans with the birth of Lucille Catherine (Celia) Hughes-Hadnot, the matriarch of six families—Briggs, Davis, Daniels, Douglas, Hadnot and Torry. It is the true story of a Black family, who were never enslaved, but owners of slaves; a tale of a people, who regarded themselves as “neither black nor white.” It is a story of a family—one black and the other white, but related by a common ancestor by the name of John Hadnot. This novel by historian Joseph E. Holloway is compelling reading, which explores black culture, history, Jim Crow as well as issues of colorism from the history of an American family in transition from white to black.

In the first edition DeWayne “Doc” Johnson CSUN Professor Emeritus of Journalism and retired Desk Editor of the Los Angeles Times wrote: “This is a masterpiece and it should become a classic and a standard in African literature similar to Richard Wright’s story telling.